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The conversion of the highly selective CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) into desired value-added multicarbon compounds, like C2H4, is crucial, but it is mainly constrained by the high energy barrier for C-C coupling and the multi-electron transfer process. Herein, M/TiO2 and M/TiO2-VO (M = Cu, Pd, CuPd, and VO refers to the surface oxygen vacancy) catalysts were designed to study the CO2RR towards C2H4 by using density functional theory (DFT). We found that the surface oxygen vacancy enhances the adsorption ability of studied catalysts. The CO2 molecule is strongly adsorbed at the metal-surface interfaces of Cu/TiO2-VO, Pd/TiO2-VO and CuPd/TiO2-VO catalysts with adsorption energies of -1.79, -1.75 and -1.71 eV, respectively. Furthermore, the C-C coupling reaction does not occur on the Cu and PdCu cluster sites of the M/TiO2-VO catalysts, indicating the inactivity of these sites for C2 products. However, Pd/TiO2, CuPd/TiO2 and M/TiO2-VO interfaces favor the C-C coupling reaction and therefore have the potential to reduce CO2 to C2 products. Additionally, the Gibbs free energy calculations reveal that the surface oxygen vacancy improves the OCCO hydrogenation to C2H4 at the CuPd/TiO2-VO interface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nonlinear Markov branching process with immigration and resurrection (NMBPIR) is considered in this paper. We give the criteria for regularity and uniqueness of NMBPIR, and then investigate the extinction probability and the mean extinction time. Furthermore, we give a condition for the Feller minimal NMBPIR to be recurrence, and provide an example to illustrate our results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the CFIHL dataset, which contains chlorophyll fluorescence images of hydroponic lettuce seedlings. The dataset aims to provide accurate estimations of seedling status using chlorophyll fluorescence technology. The study compares different segmentation algorithms and finds that a deep learning algorithm called Deeplabv3+ combined with the SeAFusion fusion algorithm achieves higher accuracy in segmenting lettuce canopies. The article acknowledges limitations and suggests further research to expand the sample range and explore different applications. The datasets mentioned in the article can be accessed online. [Extracted from the article]

Objective: The recurrent 1q21.1 microdeletion syndrome is an autosomal dominant disorder and is characterized by dysmorphic facial features, microcephaly, developmental delay, and congenital defects. However, most studies on the distal deletions in the 1q21.1 region were diagnosed postnatally. This study aimed to provide a better understanding of the ultrasound and molecular findings of fetuses with recurrent 1q21.1 microdeletions in prenatal diagnosis. Methods: In this retrospective study, we reported 21 cases with the recurrent 1q21.1 microdeletion syndrome diagnosed at our prenatal diagnostic center from January 2016 to January 2023. The clinical data were reviewed for these cases, including the maternal demographics, indications for invasive testing, ultrasound findings, CMA results, and pregnancy outcomes. Results: In the study, a total of 21 cases with recurrent 1q21.1 microdeletions were diagnosed prenatally by CMA. Fifteen cases were described with ultrasound indications, and the most common findings are as follows: increased nuchal translucency (NT) (26.7%), intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) (26.7%), congenital heart defects (CHD) (20%), and congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT) (13.3%). All the cases with the distal 1q21.1 deletions contain the common minimal region (located between BP3 and BP4) and eight OMIM genes. Parental studies to determine the inheritance of the deletion were performed for eight cases, and half of the cases were inherited from one of the parents. Pregnancy outcomes were available for nine cases; eight (88.9%) pregnancies were determined to be terminated and one (11.1%) was fullterm delivery. Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the largest study to find that fetuses with recurrent 1q21.1 microdeletions were closely associated with increased NT, CHD, IUGR, and CAKUT. In addition, ours is the first study to report that cerebral ventriculomegaly might be associated with recurrent 1q21.1 microdeletions. More comprehensive studies are needed for a better understanding of the prenatal phenotype-genotype relationship of the recurrent 1q21.1 microdeletion syndrome in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pre-operative prediction of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) is primarily based on the patient's medical history. The predictive value of gastric morphological parameters observed on ultrasonography has not been comprehensively assessed. Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted to evaluate the preoperative ultrasonographic measurement of gastric morphology for predicting PONV. The gastric antrum of the participants was assessed using ultrasound before anesthesia, and the occurrence of PONV in the first 6 hours and during the 6--24 hours after surgery was reported. The main indicators included the thickness of the muscularis propria (TMP) and the cross-sectional area of the inner side of the muscularis propria (CSA-ISMP). These were recorded and analyzed. Logistic regression analysis was applied to identify factors for PONV. Results: A total of 72 patients scheduled for elective gynecological laparoscopic surgery were investigated in the study. The pre-operative CSA-ISMP of patients with PONV in the first 6 hours was significantly greater than that of those without PONV (2.765 ± 0.865 cm² vs 2.349 ± 0.881 cm², P=0.0308), with an area under the curve of 0.648 (95% CI, 0.518 to 0.778, P=0.031). Conversely, the preoperative TMP of patients with PONV during the 6--24 hours was significantly smaller than that of those without PONV (1.530 ± 0.473 mm vs 2.038 ± 0.707 mm, P=0.0021), with an area under the curve of 0.722 (95% CI, 0.602 to 0.842, P=0.003). Logistic regression analysis confirmed that CSA-ISMP was an independent risk factor for PONV in the first 6 hours (OR=2.986, P=0.038), and TMP was an independent protective factor for PONV during the 6--24 hours after surgery (OR=0.115, P=0.006). Conclusion: Patients with a larger pre-operative CSA-ISMP or a thinner TMP are prone to develop PONV in the first 6 hours or during the 6--24 hours after surgery, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Blackheart is one of the most common physiological diseases in potatoes during storage. In the initial stage, black spots only occur in tissues near the potato core and cannot be detected from an outward appearance. If not identified and removed in time, the disease will seriously undermine the quality and sale of the-entire batch of potatoes. There is an urgent need to develop a method for early detection of blackheart in potatoes. Methods: This paper used visible-near infrared (Vis/NIR) spectroscopy to conduct online discriminant analysis on potatoes with varying degrees of blackheart and healthy potatoes to achieve real-time detection. An efficient and lightweight detection model was developed for detecting different degrees of blackheart in potatoes by introducing the depth-wise convolution, pointwise convolution, and efficient channel attention modules into the ResNet model. Two discriminative models, the support vector machine (SVM) and the ResNet model were compared with the modified ResNet model. Results and discussion: The prediction accuracy for blackheart and healthy potatoes test sets reached 0.971 using the original spectrum combined with a modified ResNet model. Moreover, the modified ResNet model significantly reduced the number of parameters to 1434052, achieving a substantial 62.71% reduction in model complexity. Meanwhile, its performance was evidenced by a 4.18% improvement in accuracy. The Grad-CAM++ visualizations provided a qualitative assessment of the model’s focus across different severity grades of blackheart condition, highlighting the importance of different wavelengths in the analysis. In these visualizations, the most significant features were predominantly found in the 650–750 nm range, with a notable peak near 700 nm. This peak was speculated to be associated with the vibrational activities of the C-H bond, specifically the fourth overtone of the C-H functional group, within the molecular structure of the potato components. This research demonstrated that the modified ResNet model combined with Vis/NIR could assist in the detection of different degrees of black in potatoes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of this study was to identify the molecular subtypes of breast cancer based on chromatin regulator-related genes. Methods: The RNA sequencing data of The Cancer Genome Atlas–Breast Cancer cohort were obtained from the official website, while the single-cell data were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database (GSE176078). Validation was performed using the Molecular Taxonomy of Breast Cancer International Consortium dataset. Furthermore, the immune characteristics, tumor stemness, heterogeneity, and clinical characteristics of these molecular subtypes were analyzed. The correlation between chromatin regulators and chemotherapy resistance was examined in vitro using the quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK8) assays. Results: This study identified three stable molecular subtypes with different prognostic and pathological features. Gene Ontology, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes, and protein–protein interaction analyses revealed that the differentially expressed genes were associated with disease processes, such as mitotic nuclear division, chromosome segregation, condensed chromosome, and specific chromosome region. The T stage and subtypes were correlated with the clinical features. Tumor heterogeneity (mutant-allele tumor heterogeneity, tumor mutational burden, purity, and homologous recombination deficiency) and tumor stemness (RNA expression-based stemness score, epigenetically regulated RNA expression-based stemness score, DNA methylation-based stemness score, and epigenetically regulated DNA methylation-based stemness score) significantly varied between the three subtypes. Furthermore, Western blotting, qRT-PCR, and CCK8 assays demonstrated that the expression of ASCL1 was positively correlated with chemotherapy resistance in breast cancer. Conclusion: This study identified the subtypes of breast cancer based on chromatin regulators and analyzed their clinical features, gene mutation status, immunophenotype, and drug sensitivity. The results of this study provide effective strategies for assessing clinical prognosis and developing personalized treatment strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. The aim of this study was to determine the serum biochemical markers that can predict the risk of haemorrhagic transformation (HT) before and after endovascular treatment (EVT). Material and methods. This study included patients with anterior circulation large vessel occlusion (ACLVO) who underwent EVT within six hours of symptom onset between September 2017 and September 2022. These patients were retrospectively categorised into two groups: an HT group and a No-HT group. Results. A total of 180 patients were included in the study, of whom 55 (30.6%) had HT. The monocyte count before EVT (p = = 0.005, OR = 0.694, 95% CI 0.536-0.898), the activated partial thromboplastin time before EVT (p = 0.009, OR = 0.186, 95% CI 0.699-0.952), and the eosinophil count after EVT (p = 0.038, OR = 0.001, 95% CI 0.000-0.018) were all found to be independent predictors of HT, with warning values of 6.65%, 22.95 seconds, and 0.035*10^9/L, respectively. When compared to prediction using only demographic data [AUC = 0.662,95% CI (0.545, 0.780)], adding biochemical indices before EVT [AUC = 0.719,95% CI (0.617, 0.821)], adding biochemical indices after EVT [AUC = 0.670,95% CI (0.566, 0.773)], and adding both [AUC = 0.778,95% CI (0.686, 0.870)], the prediction efficiency of HT was improved among all three combinations, with no statistical significance. Conclusions. The levels of serum biochemical markers were found to show significant changes before and after EVT in ACLVO patients. A combination of demographic data and serum biochemical markers proved to be effective in predicting the occurrence of HT in patients with ACLVO who underwent EVT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the anti-inflammatory and antifungal effects of plumbagin (PL) in Aspergillus fumigatus (A. fumigatus) keratitis, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), time-killing curve, spore adhesion, crystal violet staining, calcium fluoride white staining, and Propidium Iodide (PI) staining were employed to assess the antifungal activity of PL in vitro against A. fumigatus. The cytotoxicity of PL was assessed using the Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK8). The impact of PL on the expression of HMGB1, LOX-1, TNF-β, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10 and ROS in A. fumigatus keratitis was investigated using RT-PCR, ELISA, Western blot, and Reactive oxygen species (ROS) assay. The therapeutic efficacy of PL against A. fumigatus keratitis was assessed through clinical scoring, plate counting, Immunofluorescence and Hematoxylin-Eosin (HE) staining. Finally, we found that PL inhibited the growth, spore adhesion, and biofilm formation of A. fumigatus and disrupted the integrity of its cell membrane and cell wall. PL decreased IL-6, TNF-β, and IL-1β levels while increasing IL-10 expression in fungi-infected mice corneas and peritoneal macrophages. Additionally, PL significantly attenuated the HMGB1/LOX-1 pathway while reversing the promoting effect of Boxb (an HMGB1 agonist) on HMGB1/LOX-1. Moreover, PL decreased the level of ROS. In vivo, clinical scores, neutrophil recruitment, and fungal burden were all significantly reduced in infected corneas treated with PL. In summary, the inflammatory process can be inhibited by PL through the regulation of the HMGB-1/LOX-1 pathway. Simultaneously, PL can exert antifungal effects by limiting fungal spore adhesion and biofilm formation, as well as causing destruction of cell membranes and walls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The molecular mechanism of fetal cystic hygroma (CH) is still unclear, and no study has previously reported the transcriptome changes of single cells in CH. In this study, single-cell transcriptome sequencing (scRNAseq) was used to investigate the characteristics of cell subsets in the lesion tissues of CH patients. Methods Lymphoid tissue collected from CH patients and control donors for scRNA-seq analysis. Differentially expressed gene enrichment in major cell subpopulations as well as cell-cell communication were analyzed. At the same time, the expression and interactions of important VEGF signaling pathway molecules were analyzed, and potential transcription factors that could bind to KDR (VEGFR2) were predicted. Results The results of scRNA-seq showed that fibroblasts accounted for the largest proportion in the lymphatic lesions of CH patients. There was a significant increase in the proportion of lymphatic endothelial cell subsets between the cases and controls. The VEGF signaling pathway is enriched in lymphatic endothelial cells and participates in the regulation of cell-cell communication between lymphatic endothelial cells and other cells. The key regulatory gene KDR in the VEGF signaling pathway is highly expressed in CH patients and interacts with other differentially expressed EDN1, TAGLN, and CLDN5 Finally, we found that STAT1 could bind to the KDR promoter region, which may play an important role in promoting KDR up-regulation. Conclusion Our comprehensive delineation of the cellular composition in tumor tissues of CH patients using single-cell RNA-sequencing identified the enrichment of lymphatic endothelial cells in CH and highlighted the activation of the VEGF signaling pathway in lymphoid endothelial cells as a potential modulator. Simple summary The molecular and cellular pathogenesis of fetal cystic hygroma (CH) remains largely unknown. This study examined the distribution and gene expression signature of each cell subpopulation and the possible role of VEGF signaling in lymphatic endothelial cells in regulating the progression of CH by single-cell transcriptome sequencing. The enrichment of lymphatic endothelial cells in CH and the activation of the VEGF signaling pathway in lymphatic endothelial cells provide some clues to the pathogenesis of CH from the perspective of cell subpopulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Ralstonia pickettii is a low virulent, gram-negative bacillus that is rarely associated with human infections and may cause bacteremia. Microbacterium species are gram-positive coryneforms that are generally considered as a contaminant in Gram staining of blood cultures, especially when the time to positivity is longer than 48 h. Both these bacterial species are emerging opportunistic pathogens that may occasionally cause serious infections and even life-threatening health conditions. Case presentation Here, we report the case of a patient with bacteremia caused by both R. pickettii and Microbacterium. We advocate for providers to order rapid antibiotic susceptibility testing, since our patient’s suffered two kinds of rare pathogens with the opposite of drug sensitivity results to imipenem. Conclusions Our case present a patient suffered septic shock caused by R. pickettii and Microbacterium. Improving the antibiotic management based on the result of antimicrobial susceptibility tests is the key of successful treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to encrypt and watermark the pixel flipped text image, a digital watermarking algorithm for pixel flipped text image based on calculus operator is proposed. The original image is evenly divided into blocks, and subsequently then the sub block is subjected to the fundamental wave transformation of the calculus operator. The embedding position is determined by combining the characteristics of the human visual system (HVS) and the parity quantization algorithm. The watermark information is embedded into the sub block, and the differential operator is used to perform the inverse ridgelet transformation on the sub block to obtain the watermark image. The sum of the absolute differences of adjacent pixels is used to calculate the correlation, and the pixel fluctuation function is designed to improve the accuracy of image restoration and the embedding capacity and expand the key space. The mean value of histogram is used as the calibration point to avoid the possibility of synchronization attack through synchronous embedding and detection process. The watermark information is added to the low frequency part of the image to enhance the robustness of the watermark. The watermark information is added to the low frequency part of the three-level lifting wavelet decomposition of the image, and the three-level lifting wavelet inverse transform is performed according to the wavelet coefficients after embedding the watermark information, so as to obtain the color image fraction containing the watermark, and achieve the digital watermark acquisition of pixel flipped text image. The simulation results show that the proposed method is robust for extracting digital watermark from pixel flipped text images, achieves blind inspection of watermark images with high security. The quality of watermarked images with different embedding capacities is good, and the watermark information can be completely extracted. Compared with other methods, better watermark embedding rate, extraction accuracy and robustness is seen with the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Ovulation dysfunction is now a widespread cause of infertility around the world. Although the impact of immune cells in human reproduction has been widely investigated, systematic understanding of the changes of the immune atlas under female ovulation remain less understood. Methods: Here, we generated single cell transcriptomic profiles of 80,689 PBMCs in three representative statuses of ovulation dysfunction, i.e., polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), primary ovarian insufficiency (POI) and menopause (MENO), and identified totally 7 major cell types and 25 subsets of cells. Results: Our study revealed distinct cluster distributions of immune cells among individuals of ovulation disorders and health. In patients with ovulation dysfunction, we observed a significant reduction in populations of naïve CD8 T cells and effector memory CD4 T cells, whereas circulating NK cells and regulatory NK cells increased. Discussion: Our results highlight the significant contribution of cDC-mediated signaling pathways to the overall inflammatory response within ovulation disorders. Furthermore, our data demonstrated a significant upregulation of oxidative stress in patients with ovulation disorder. Overall, our study gave a deeper insight into the mechanism of PCOS, POI, and menopause, which may contribute to the better diagnosis and treatments of these ovulatory disorder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The multiple etiological characteristics of acute kidney injury (AKI) have brought great challenges to its clinical diagnosis and treatment. Renal injury in critically ill patients always indicates hemodynamic injury. The Critical Care UltraSound Guided (CC USG)-A(KI)BCDE protocol developed by the Chinese Critical Ultrasound Study Group (CC USG), respectively, includes A(KI) diagnosis and risk assessment and uses B-mode ultrasound, Color doppler ultrasound, spectral Doppler ultrasound, and contrast Enhanced ultrasound to obtain the hemodynamic characteristics of the kidney so that the pathophysiological mechanism of the occurrence and progression of AKI can be captured and the prognosis of AKI can be predicted combined with other clinical information; therefore, the corresponding intervention and treatment strategies can be formulated to achieve targeted, protocolized, and individualized therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/aim: Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer is associated with a higher risk of metastasis and poorer overall survival (OS) due to HER2 gene overexpression/amplification. Although anti- HER2 targeted therapy has shown survival benefits in HER2-positive advanced breast cancer (ABC) patients, long-term treatment often leads to drug resistance, complicating further treatment options. RC48, an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC), combines the benefits of antibody targeting with the cytotoxic effects of a small molecule drug. Case report: We present a case involving a female patient with HER2-positive ABC who developed drug resistance and disease progression following multiline anti-HER2 targeted therapy. In this instance, RC48 exhibited anti-tumor activity in an ABC patient resistant to HER2-targeted therapy. After eight treatment cycles with 120 mg of RC48, the tumor size decreased and stabilized. Conclusion: This case report underscores the potential clinical value of RC48 as a promising treatment alternative for patients resistant to HER2 targeted therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: As one of the essential hypertension (EH)-mediated target organ damage, carotid plaque is a crucial subclinical precursor for cardiovascular events. Therefore, it is vital to identify the risk factors and pathogenesis for EH with carotid plaque. Methods: Based on our previous microarray analysis, we selected four circRNAs as the candidate circRNAs and detected their expression levels in blood of 192 subjects (64 healthy controls, 64 EH patients, and 64 EH patients with carotid plaque) by qRT-PCR analysis. The regulatory mechanism of circRNAs involved in carotid plaque was predicted by bioinformatics analysis. Results: The level of hsa_circ_0124782 increased significantly and the levels of hsa_circ_0131618 and hsa_circ_0127342 decreased significantly in the EH group and EH with carotid plaque group compared with the control group (P < .05). Functional enrichment analysis showed that three circRNAs might be implicated in pathogenesis for carotid plaque. Conclusion: Our study revealed the relationship between three circRNAs and carotid plaque, suggesting that they may serve as potential biomarkers for EH with carotid plaque. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cone is a crucial component of the whole life cycle of gymnosperm and an organ for sexual reproduction of gymnosperms. In Pinus koraiensis, the quantity and development process of male and female cones directly influence seed production, which in turn influences the tree's economic value. There are, however, due to the lack of genetic information and genomic data, the morphological development and molecular mechanism of female and male cones of P. koraiensis have not been analyzed. Long-term phenological observations were used in this study to document the main process of the growth of both male and female cones. Transcriptome sequencing and endogenous hormone levels at three critical developmental stages were then analyzed to identify the regulatory networks that control these stages of cones development. The most significant plant hormones influencing male and female cones growth were discovered to be gibberellin and brassinosteroids, according to measurements of endogenous hormone content. Additionally, transcriptome sequencing allowed the identification of 71,097 and 31,195 DEGs in male and female cones. The synthesis and control of plant hormones during cones growth were discovered via enrichment analysis of key enrichment pathways. FT and other flowering-related genes were discovered in the coexpression network of flower growth development, which contributed to the growth development of male and female cones of P. koraiensis. The findings of this work offer a cuttingedge foundation for understanding reproductive biology and the molecular mechanisms that control the growth development of male and female cones in P. koraiensis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Several studies have investigated the population pharmacokinetics (popPK) of valproic acid (VPA) in children with epilepsy. However, the predictive performance of these models in the extrapolation to other clinical environments has not been studied. Hence, this study evaluated the predictive abilities of pediatric popPK models of VPA and identified the potential effects of protein binding modeling strategies. Methods: A dataset of 255 trough concentrations in 202 children with epilepsy was analyzed to assess the predictive performance of qualified models, following literature review. The evaluation of external predictive ability was conducted by prediction- and simulation-based diagnostics as well as Bayesian forecasting. Furthermore, five popPK models with different protein binding modeling strategies were developed to investigate the discrepancy among the onebinding site model, Langmuir equation, dose-dependent maximum effect model, linear non-saturable binding equation and the simple exponent model on model predictive ability. Results: Ten popPK models were identified in the literature. Co-medication, body weight, daily dose, and age were the four most commonly involved covariates influencing VPA clearance. The model proposed by Serrano et al. showed the best performance with a median prediction error (MDPE) of 1.40%, median absolute prediction error (MAPE) of 17.38%, and percentages of PE within 20% (F20, 55.69%) and 30% (F30, 76.47%). However, all models performed inadequately in terms of the simulation-based normalized prediction distribution error, indicating unsatisfactory normality. Bayesian forecasting enhanced predictive performance, as prior observations were available. More prior observations are needed for model predictability to reach a stable state. The linear non-saturable binding equation had a higher predictive value than other protein binding models. Conclusion: The predictive abilities of most popPK models of VPA in children with epilepsy were unsatisfactory. The linear non-saturable binding equation is more suitable for modeling non-linearity. Moreover, Bayesian forecasting with prior observations improved model fitness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Constraint violation correction is an important research topic in solving multibody system dynamics. For a multibody system dynamics method which derives acceleration equations in a recursive manner and avoids overall dynamics equations, a fast and accurate solution to the violation problem is paramount. The direct correction method is favored due to its simplicity, high accuracy and low computational cost. This method directly supplements the constraint equations and performs corrections, making it an effective solution for addressing violation problems. However, calculating the significant Jacobian matrices for this method using dynamics equations can be challenging, especially for complex multibody systems. This paper presents a programmatic framework for deriving Jacobian matrices of planar rigid-flexible-multibody systems in a simple semi-analytic form along two paths separated by a secondary joint. The approach is verified by comparing constraint violation errors with and without the constraint violation correction in numerical examples. Moreover, the proposed method's computational speed is compared with that of the direct differential solution, verifying its efficiency. The straightforward, highly programmable and universal approach provides a new idea for programming large-scale dynamics software and extends the application of dynamics methods focused on deriving acceleration equations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Currently, it remains unclear regarding the association between tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and the efficacy of postoperative radiotherapy in primary tumors. Here we attempted to investigate the effect of TILs depending on the presence of postmastectomy radiotherapy (PMRT) on the prognosis in pT1-2N1M0 breast cancer. Methods: The clinical data of pT1-2N1M0 breast cancer patients undergoing mastectomy and axillary lymph node dissection were retrospectively analyzed. The effect of TILs on the prognosis was assessed based on the infiltration degree (low: TILs ≤10%, high: TILs >10%), and then the prognosis of patients with low and high infiltration of TILs was analyzed based on presence or absence of PMRT. Results: Totally 213 patients were eligible for the study, including 162 cases of low infiltration and 51 of high infiltration. High-infiltration patients tended to be ER/PR-negative, HER2-positive, and have high histological grade. The infiltration in triple-negative and HER2-positive subtypes was higher compared with Luminal A subtype. Regarding local-regional recurrence-free survival, recurrence-free survival, and overall survival (OS) rates, the differences were all inapparent whether in high- and low-infiltration patients or in high-infiltration patients with/without PMRT. Compared with those without PMRT, lowinfiltration patients with PMRT showed a significantly increased OS rate (92.8% vs. 80.0%, p=0.023). Multivariate analysis further confirmed PMRT as an independent predicator of OS in low-infiltration patients (HR: 0.228, 95%CI: 0.081-0.644, p=0.005). Conclusion: High infiltration of TILs in pT1-2N1M0 breast cancer may be associated with clinicopathological factors. Low-infiltration patients, but not high-infiltration patients, may derive survival benefits from PMRT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The correlation between thyroid autoimmune (TAI) disease and hypothyroidism in the elderly of different ages remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the epidemiological characteristics of hypothyroidism, including subclinical hypothyroidism (Shypo) and overt hypothyroidism (Ohypo) in those aged =65 years from iodine-adequate areas and reveal the correlation between TAI and hypothyroidism in the elderly of different ages. Methods: It was a cross-sectional study involving 2,443 subjects aged =65 years from two iodine-adequate areas in China by cluster sampling. They were assigned to the 65-69-, 70-79-, and =80-year-old age group. All subjects were surveyed by questionnaires and received physical examinations, laboratory testing, and thyroid ultrasound. Epidemiological characteristics of thyroid diseases in the elderly were compared among the three groups. Risk factors for hypothyroidism were predicted by binary logistic regression analysis. Results: The median urinary iodine level was 238.70 (197.00, 273.70) mg/L. Thyroid peroxidase antibody or thyroglobulin antibody positivity (11.87%) and Shypo (9.13%) were common in the elderly. The prevalence of hypothyroidism in the elderly increases with age. TAIwas a risk factor for Shypo (OR, 1.94; 95% CI, 1.35, 2.80; p < 0.01) andOhypo (OR, 7.64; 95% CI, 3.40, 17.19; p < 0.01) in elderlyChinese. There was an age-specificcorrelation between TAI and hypothyroidism in the elderly. However, a significant correlationwas not identified between TAI and hypothyroidism in =80-year-old age group (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Hypothyroidism, particularly Shypo, is common in the elderly from iodine-adequate areas in China. TAI serves as a risk factor for hypothyroidism in the elderly, with an age-specific correlation with hypothyroidism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Understanding inflammatory and immune responses to Omicron infection based on age is crucial when addressing this global health threat. However, the lacking of comprehensive elucidation hinders the development of distinct treatments tailored to different age populations. Methods: 1299 cases of Omicron infection in Shanghai were enrolled between April 10, 2022 and June 3, 2022, dividing into three groups by ages: Adult group (18-59 years), Old group (60-79 years), and Elder group (≥ 80 years). Laboratory data including inflammatory cytokines, cellular, and humoral immunity were collected and analyzed. Results: The mean age of Adult, Old, and Elder groups were 44.14, 69.98, and 89.35 years, respectively, with 40.9% being men. The Elder group patients exhibited higher white blood cell (WBC) counts and elevated levels of inflammatory cytokines, but their lymphocyte counts were relatively lower. In comparison to the Old group patients, the Elder group patients demonstrated significantly lower CD3+ T-cell counts, CD3+ T-cell proportion, CD4+ T-cell counts, CD8+ T-cell counts, and CD19+ B-cell counts, while the NK-cell counts were higher. Omicron negative patients displayed a higher proportion of CD19+ B-cells and higher levels of Complement-3 and IL-17 compared to the positive patients in the Old group. Omicron negative patients had lower WBC counts, CD3+ CD8+ T-cells proportion, and the levels of serum amyloid A and IgA in the Elder group, but the CD4+/CD8+ ratio was higher. Conclusions: Our study identified the distinct profiles of inflammatory and immune responses to Omicron infection varying with age and highlighted the diverse correlations between the levels of various biomarkers and Omicron infected/convalescent patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) are the second largest carbohydrate component and the third largest nutrient after lactose, and their content and composition are related to the genetic characteristics of the mother, lactation period, geography, and other factors. This study examined the differences in fat content, protein composition, and oligosaccharides content between foremilk and hind milk in human milk. The results showed that the fat content of human milk was significantly higher in the hind milk than in the foremilk. However, no significant differences in the composition and content of protein in the fore and hind milk. With respect to oligosaccharides, the total amount of HMOs (based on seven oligosaccharides, lacto-N-neotetraose (LNnT), lacto-N-tetraose (LNT), 2'-fucosyllactose (2'-FL), 3'-fucosyllactose (3'-FL), 3'-galactosyllactose (3'-GL), 3'-sialyllactose (3'-SL), and 6'-sialyllactose (6'-SL) in the hind milk was always higher than in the foremilk in almost all mothers. Similar trend was found in specific oligosaccharide including LNnT, LNT, 2'-FL, 3'-FL, and 3'-GL. On the other hand, sialylated oligosaccharides, 3'-SL, and 6'-SL were quite consistent in foremilk and hind milk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have found that literacy acquisition modulates configural face processing (i.e., holistic and second-order configural processing). However, it remains unclear how literacy acquisition impacts the configural processing indexed by the inversion effect of normal or filtered faces. We asked Chinese illiterate and literate adults to judge whether two sequentially-presented stimuli, including faces, houses (experiment 1), and high- or low-pass filtered faces (experiment 2) were identical. Literate adults outperformed illiterate controls in the upright face and house conditions (experiment 1) and the upright high- and low-pass filtered conditions (experiment 2) but not in the inverted conditions. Notably, the size of an inversion effect (i.e., subtracting inverted accuracy from upright accuracy) was greater among literate adults than that among illiterate adults in both experiments. These findings support that literacy acquisition promotes configural face processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Omicron is the recently emerged highly transmissible severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 variant that has caused a dramatic increase in coronavirus disease-2019 infection cases worldwide. This study was to investigate the association between demographic and laboratory findings, and the duration of Omicron viral clearance. Methods: Approximately 278 Omicron cases at the Ruijin Hospital Luwan Branch, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine were retrospectively analyzed between August 11 and August 31, 2022. Demographic and laboratory data were also collected. The association between demographics, laboratory findings, and duration of Omicron viral clearance was analyzed using Pearson correlation analysis and univariate and multivariate logistic regression. Results: Univariate logistic regression analyses showed that a prolonged viral clearance time was significantly associated with older age and lower immunoglobulin (Ig) G and platelet (PLT) levels. Using multinomial logistic regression analyses, direct bilirubin, IgG, activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), and PLT were independent factors for longer viral shedding duration. The model combining direct bilirubin, IgG, APTT, and PLT identifies patients infected with Omicron whose viral clearance time was ≥7 days with 62.7% sensitivity and 83.4% specificity. Conclusion: These findings suggest that direct bilirubin, IgG, PLT, and APTT are significant risk factors for a longer viral shedding duration in patients infected with Omicron. Measuring levels of direct bilirubin, IgG, PLT, and APTT is advantageous to identify patients infected with Omicron with longer viral shedding duration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Invasive candidiasis (IC) is often a cause of severe concern for the hospitalized patients, particularly those who are critically sick. However management of this disease is challenging due to a lack of effective laboratory diagnostic techniques. Hence, we have developed a one-step double antibody sandwich enzymelinked immunosorbent assay (DAS-ELISA) using a pair of specific monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) for the quantitative detection of Candida albicans enolase1 (CaEno1), which is considered as an important diagnostic biomarker for IC. The diagnostic efficiency of the DAS-ELISA was evaluated by using a rabbit model of systemic candidiasis and compared with other assays. The method validation results demonstrated that the developed method was sensitive, reliable, and feasible. The findings of the rabbit model plasma analysis indicated that the diagnostic efficiency of the CaEno1 detection assay was better in comparison to the (1,3)-β-D-glucan detection and blood culture. CaEno1 is present in the blood of infected rabbits for a brief period and at relatively low levels and thus the combination of CaEno1 antigen and IgG antibodies detection could aid to increase diagnostic efficiency. However, to improve the clinical application of CaEno1 detection in the future, efforts should be made to increase the detection limit of the test by promoting technical developments and by optimizing the protocol for the clinical serial determinations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aspergillus fumigatus keratitis is a potential blinding disease associated with A. fumigatus invasion and excessive inflammatory response. Benzyl isothiocyanate (BITC) is a secondary metabolite with broad antibacterial and anti-inflammatory activity extracted from cruciferous species. However, the role of BITC in A. fumigatus keratitis has not been discovered yet. This study aims to explore the antifungal and anti-inflammatory effects and mechanisms of BITC in A. fumigatus keratitis. Our results provided evidences that BITC exerted antifungal effects against A. fumigatus by damaging cell membranes, mitochondria, adhesion, and biofilms in a concentration-dependent manner. In vivo, fungal load and inflammatory response including inflammatory cell infiltration and pro-inflammatory cytokine expression were reduced in BITC-treated A. fumigatus keratitis. Additionally, BITC significantly decreased Mincle, IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-6 expression in RAW264.7 cells that stimulated by A. fumigatus or Mincle ligand trehalose-6,6-dibehenate. In summary, BITC possessed fungicidal activities and could improve the prognosis of A. fumigatus keratitis by reducing fungal load and inhibiting the inflammatory response mediated by Mincle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In sepsis, brain dysfunction is knownas Sepsis-associated encephalopathy (SAE), which often results in severe cognitive and neurological sequelae and increases the risk of death. Our systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to explore the diagnostic and prognostic value of serumS100 calcium-binding protein B (S100B) in SAE patients. Methods: We conducted a systematic search of the databases PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane databases, CNKI, VIP, and WFSD from their inception dates until August 20, 2022. A Meta-analysis of the included studies was also performed using Review Manager version 5.4 and Stata16.0. Results: This meta-analysis included 28 studies with 1401 serum samples from SAE patients and 1591 serum samples from no-encephalopathy septic (NE) patients. The Meta-Analysis showed that individualswith SAE had higher serumS100Blevel thanNE controls (MD, 0.49 [95%CI (0.37)-(0.60), Z=8.29, P < 0.00001]), and the baseline level of serumS100Bin septic patients with burnwas significantly higher than average (1.96 [95% CI (0.92)-(2.99), Z =3.71, P < 0.0002]) In addition, septic patients with favorable outcomes had lower serumS100B levels than thosewith unfavorable outcomes (MD, -0.35 [95% CI (-0.50)-(-0.20), Z =4.60, P < 0.00001]). Conclusion: Our Meta-Analysis indicates that higher serum S100B level in septic patients are moderately associated with SAE and unfavorable outcomes (The outcomes here mainly refer to the mortality). The serum S100B level may be a useful diagnostic and prognostic biomarker of SAE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To report the frequency of maternal mosaicism contributing to false-positive chromosome X loss associated with noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT) at a single center. Methods Pregnancies undergone NIPT using massively parallel sequencing at Guangzhou Women and Children’s Medical Center between February 2015 and May 2020 were included in this study. Fetal karyotyping, quantitative fluorescence PCR (QF-PCR) or microarray analysis was provided to patients with abnormal sex chromosomal aneuploidy (SCA) results for confirmatory testing, and QF-PCR was also employed to detect maternal sex chromosome status. Results cffDNA testing of 40682 pregnancies revealed 86 cases with NIPT results positive for chromosome X loss (0.21%). Among the 86 high-risk cases, 73 women had undergone confirmatory testing in our center, whereas 13 declined. Of the 73 women verified by invasive prenatal diagnosis, 27.4% (20/73) were true positive cases including six cases of monosomy X, two cases of microdeletion of Xp22.33, one case of deletion Xq27.2q28, one case of 47, XXX and ten cases with fetal sex chromosome mosaicism. Of the remaining 53 patients with fetal normal results, 30 cases had undergone QF-PCR analysis of maternal white blood cells. QF-PCR indicated that 36.7% (11/30) patients had an altered or mosaic maternal sex chromosome status. Statistical analysis indicated that cell-free fetal DNA (cffDNA) concentration estimated by chromosome X in maternal mosaic cases was significantly higher than that in the non-maternal mosaicism group (p < .05) and was related to maternal mosaicism rate (r = 0.88, p < .05). Conclusions Our findings indicated that maternal mosaicism of sex chromosome was not uncommon in false-positive NIPT chromosome X loss cases. We recommend that this information should be disclosed to pregnancies during clinical counseling and maternal sex chromosome status should be confirmed for the cases with NIPT chromosome X loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Extramedullary plasmacytoma (EMP) is a localized plasma cell neoplasm that originates from tissues other than bone. The survival trends and prognostic factors of patients with EMP in recent years remain unreported. Methods: We used the SEER databases to extract the data. Survival curves were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method and a nomogram was created based on the Cox’s proportional hazards model. Results: A total of 1676 cases of EMP were identified. Patients in period-2 (2008- 2016) show similar survival (p=0.8624) to those in period-1(1975-2007). Age, gender, race, and sites were prognostic of patient outcomes. And the use of surgery was associated with improved survival. The patients were randomly assigned to the training cohort and the validation cohort in a ratio of 2:1. Four factors including age, gender, race, and sites were identified to be independently predictive of the overall survival of patients with EMP. A prognostic model (EMP prognostic index, EMP-PI) comprising these four factors was constructed. Within the training cohort, three risk groups displayed significantly different 10-year survival rates: low-risk (73.0%, [95%CI 66.9-78.2]), intermediate-risk (39.3%, [95% CI 34.3-44.3]), and high-risk (22.6%, [95%CI 15.3-30.9]) (p<0.0001). Three risk groups were confirmed in the internal validation cohort. We also constructed a 5-factor nomogram based on multivariate logistic analyses. Conclusion: The survival of patients with EMP did not improve in recent years. The EMP-PI will facilitate the risk stratification and guide the risk-adapted therapy in patients with EMP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Osteosarcoma remains to be the most devastating malignant tumor in children and teenagers. Mitochondria have also been proven to play critical roles in osteosarcoma. However, a mitochondria-related signature has been established in osteosarcoma to comprehensively evaluate the pathogenic roles and regulatory roles of mitochondria in osteosarcoma. Methods: In this study, osteosarcoma samples' transcriptome data and clinical information were collected from Therapeutically Applicable Research to Generate Effective Treatments (TARGET) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases. A comprehensive bioinformatics analysis was performed on the samples at the bulk RNA sequencing level and single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) level. EdU, Transwell, and immunohistochemistry (IHC) were performed on PCCB. Results: A mitochondria-related signature was constructed in osteosarcoma patients. The prognostic value of the mitochondria-related signature was explored. The predictive value of the mitochondria-related signature in the immune microenvironment and chemotherapy agents was explored. The association between mitochondria and immunity in the tumor microenvironment of osteosarcoma at the scRNA-seq level was investigated. The tumorigenic role of the critical mitochondria-related gene, PCCB, was verified by in vitro validation. Conclusion: In conclusion, a mitochondria-related signature was developed in osteosarcoma with solid predictive values in the immune microenvironment, chemotherapy agents, and prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The role of ferroptosis in tumor progression and immune microenvironment is extensively investigated. However, the potential value of ferroptosis regulators in predicting prognosis and therapeutic strategies for osteosarcoma (OS) patients remains to be elucidated. Methods: Here, we extracted transcriptomic and survival data from Therapeutically Applicable Research to Generate Effective Treatments (TARGET) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) to investigate the expression and prognostic value of ferroptosis regulators in OS patients. After comprehensive analyses, including Gene set variation analysis (GSVA), singlesample gene-set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA), Estimated Stromal and Immune cells in Malignant Tumor tissues using Expression (ESTIMATE), single-cell RNA sequencing, and biological experiments, our constructed 8-ferroptosisregulators prognostic signature effectively predicted the immune landscape, prognosis, and chemoradiotherapy strategies for OS patients. Results: We constructed an 8-ferroptosis-regulators signature that could predict the survival outcome of OS. The signature algorithm scored samples, and highscoring patients were more prone to worse prognoses. The tumor immune landscape suggested the positive relevance between risk score and immunosuppression. Interfering HILPDA and MUC1 expression would inhibit tumor cell proliferation and migration, and MUC1 might improve the ferroptosis resistance of OS cells. Moreover, we predicted chemoradiotherapy strategies of cancer patients following ferroptosis-risk-score groups. Conclusion: Dysregulated ferroptosis gene expression can affect OS progression by affecting the tumor immune landscape and ferroptosis resistance. Our risk model can predict OS survival outcomes, and we propose that HILPDA and MUC1 are potential targets for cancer therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) is a critically endangered scale‐covered mammal belonging to the order Pholidota. Wild pangolins are notably susceptible to pathogen infection and are typically characterized by impoverished health. However, little is currently known regarding the viruses prevalent among pangolins. In this study, we report the detection of two subtypes of canine parvovirus type 2 (CPV‐2), namely CPV‐2a and CPV‐2c, both of which caused severe diarrheal disease in two post‐rescue pangolins with fatal consequences. As in CPV‐2‐infected dogs, intensive lesion of the mucosal layer of the small intestines is a prominent feature in infected pangolins. Moreover, the immunochemistry results demonstrated that CPV‐2 antigens were distributed in the crypts of small intestine. Additionally, typical parvovirus‐associated CPV‐2 were detected after four passages in F81 cells, and typical parvovirus‐like particles, approximately 20 nm in diameter, were observed in the cell supernatants. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the VP2 viral protein sequences (GenBank accession number OP208805) isolated from one pangolin (termed P1) were classified as CPV‐2c, with 99.8% identity to a CPV‐2c strain (MN832850) isolated from a Taiwanese pangolin found in Taiwan Province. In contrast, VP2 sequences (#OP208806) obtained from the second pangolin (P2) were classified as CPV‐2a, with 99.8% identity to a CPV‐2a strain (KY386858) isolated from southern China. In this study, we thus confirmed the infection of pangolins with CPV‐2c in mainland China and demonstrated that CPV‐2a also can infect pangolins. Based on these findings, we recommend that further investigations should be conducted to establish the interspecies transmission of these viruses among wild pangolins, wild carnivores, and stray dogs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study analyzed eight Chinese short stature children with aggrecan deficiency, and aimed to investigate potential genotype-phenotype correlations, differences in clinical characteristics between the Chinese and the Western populations, and effectiveness of recombinant human growth hormone therapy in patients with ACAN variants through a review of the literature. Methods: Pediatric short stature patients with ACAN heterozygous variants were identified using whole-exome sequencing. Subsequently, a literature review was carried out to summarize the clinical features, genetic findings, and efficacy of growth-promoting therapy in patients with ACAN variants. Results: We identified seven novel ACAN mutations and one recurrent variant. Patients in our center manifested with short stature (average height SDS: -3.30 ± 0.85) with slight dysmorphic characteristics. The prevalence of dysmorphic features in the Chinese populations is significantly lower than that in theWestern populations. Meanwhile, only 24.24% of aggrecan-deficient Chinese children showed significantly advanced bone age (BA). Promising therapeutic benefits were seen in the patients who received growth-promoting treatment, with an increase in growth velocity from 4.52 ± 1.00 cm/year to 8.03 ± 1.16 cm/year. Conclusion: This study further expanded the variation spectrum of the ACAN gene and demonstrated that Chinese children with short stature who carried ACAN heterozygous variants exhibited early growth cessation, which may remain unnoticed by clinicians as most of these children had very mild dysmorphic characteristics and showed BA that was consistent with the chronological age. Genetic testing may help in the diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flipping classroom teaching of martial arts "Taijiquan" is a contemporary teaching method that primarily uses information technology tools to accomplish the natural fusion of information technology and education and teaching. Digital teaching materials influence the conventional classroom. The conventional teaching approach of teacher instruction and student learning is no longer satisfactory to students. Virtual reality (VR) technology and physical education integration and development have currently emerged as a new trend, but research on its application to martial arts is still in its theoretical stages and lacks concrete application countermeasures and schemes, necessitating further investigation and study. This paper intends to investigate the use of virtual reality technology in martial arts education. The architecture of virtual reality based on the deep learning algorithm is suggested. The student dataset is collected, and they are split into two groups: control and study groups. Traditional teaching is provided to the control group, and deep learning-based VR-assisted teaching is provided to the study group using the Deep Binary Hashed Convolutional Neural Network (DBH-CNN). Statistical analysis is done using Student's t -test, logistic regression analysis, and analysis of variance (ANOVA). According to the study findings, the majority of students see virtual reality technology-assisted martial arts education favorably, and their passion for studying martial arts has greatly increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High temperature negatively affects reproductive process significantly, leading to tremendous losses in crop quality and yield. Zhinengcong (ZNC), a crude extract from the endophytic fungus Paecilomyces variotii, has been shown to improve plant growth and resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses. We show here that ZNC can also alleviate heat stress-induced reproductive defects in Solanum lycopersicum, such as short-term heat-induced inhibition on pollen viability, germination and tube growth, and long-term heat stress-induced pollen developmental defects. We further demonstrated that ZNC alleviates heat stress by downregulating the expressions of ROS production-related genes, RBOHs, and upregulating antioxidant related genes and the activities of the corresponding enzymes, thus preventing the over accumulation of heatinduced reactive oxygen species (ROS) in anther, pollen grain and pollen tube. Furthermore, spraying application of ZNC onto tomato plants under longterm heat stress promotes fruit and seed bearing in the field. In summary, plant endophytic fungus extract ZNC promotes the reproductive process and yield of tomato plants under heat stress and presents excellent potential in agricultural applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]